Along with a contemporary rendition of 1978’s Grease eponymous opening number and a sweet snippet of a brand-new song, the latest trailer of Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies paved the road to nostalgia as the Rydell High students sing, dance, and rebel in the jam-packed video. Annabel Oakes, known for her writing in Atypical, Angel from Hell, and most recently, Minx, is the creator and showrunner. Moreover, as disclosed by Paramount+, it will take place in 1954, four years prior to the events of Grease. With the production details all out and the release date closing in, the hopelessly devoted fans couldn’t be more thrilled to see what’s in store for this newest addition to the beloved franchise.
As the title and trailer suggest, this highly anticipated series focuses on the origin of the Pink Ladies, where four misfits assemble, create moral panic around the school, and establish an all-girls clique that would wield considerable repute in the future. One thing to note: the girls in question are not the ones from the Grease films, neither the first nor the second one. They’re Olivia (Cheyenne Isabel Wells), Nancy (Tricia Fukuhara), Jane (Marisa Davila), and Cynthia (Ari Notartomaso) — each one a distinctive individual that’d make for an interesting bunch when put together. Aside from the chemistry of the leading ladies and the introduction of catchy original songs, fans have other expectations they’d like to see in this 1950s vintage-themed prequel.
Justification of Diverse Representation
Judging from the trailer and cast list, it is evident that the show takes diversity and inclusion genuinely. Out of the main four, Olivia and Nancy aren’t of Caucasian ancestry, and so are a few other fellow students, namely Richie (Johnathan Nieves), Wally (Maxwell Whittington-Cooper), and Hazel (Shanel Bailey). Next, there’s Cynthia, a white girl with macho preferences, the most prominent of which is visible from her dancing at the auto body shop with boys. She, too, was briefly shown leaning in for a kiss with a girl, most likely to hint at her queer identity.
Lately, however, it’s sparked quite a debate among fans, with many expressing that facet to be a defiance against fact. Back in the '50s, no American schools would admit students without looking at their ethnicities since the practice of racial segregation had yet to be abolished. And we all know how deeply closeted and mistreated gay people were during the period. So while it’s great to see such a refreshing, bold change of not just a fragment but a lot of representation of race and sexual orientation in Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, there must be a logical explanation as to how it’s feasible in such a repressive time within the series. The creators owe it to the audience to depict the reality of history because if they choose to ignore past circumstances and try to replace them completely with a modern, “woke” setting, it would be an offense against truth.
Rise of the T-Birds
Leather jackets and greasy hair cannot be left out when it comes to describing T-Birds, a gang of rowdy boys with an inclination for motor vehicles. And since there is no Grease without them, the trailer confirms that they will play significant roles in this particular installment.
From the looks of it, Richie seems to be the leader of the pack, as he led a fight in the preview. Also, the shorter teaser trailer that was released in January showed him to be involved in what can be assumed as a romantic storyline with one of the Pink Ladies, Jane, who embodies the goody-two-shoes look Sandy once possessed — possibly an homage to the first movie’s couple of bad-boy Danny and too-pure-to-be-pink Sandy. Although, there is a non-T-Bird jock of a guy Jane is romantically drawn to, probably resulting in a classic love triangle.
Romance matters aside, it would be most fulfilling to witness the origin of the T-Birds unfolds in the series as well, such as what sort of problems they undergo, how those shape their conduct, and just about any other adolescent issues to help make sense of their grouping up.
The Appearance of the Pink Ladies' Successors
Seeing as there’s a presence of a familiar educator from Grease and its not-as-successful sequel Grease 2, Assistant Principal McGee, now played by the sensational Jackie Hoffman, it stands to reason that the other original characters may pop up in the series as well, specifically the iconic quartet pack of pink-jacketed ladies we’ve come to know: Rizzo, Frenchy, Jan, and Marty. Be it as freshly graduated middle-schoolers touring around the school or newbies on student orientation — any encounter or indirect interaction is more than possible to transpire and would be well-appreciated by fans if realized. In addition, Olivia appears to be the counterpart of Rizzo, the queen bee who strides with confidence and a smug face wherever she goes. What an exciting sight it’ll be if the two are faced against one another in this series, or perhaps even a better one: the handing down of the pink jacket from the senior to the junior.